A Ghanaian pastor, Dan Owusu-Asiamah, has urged Christians to stop paying tithe, claiming some pastors are using it as a means to defraud them.
According to Adomonline, Owusu-Asiamah made the revelation on a radio programme on Monday, where he alleged that some pastors are defrauding church members because they use the tithe to enrich themselves.
He explained that the book of Deuteronomy in the Bible prohibits pastors from extorting money from their congregation.
Owusu-Asiamah added that pastors who collect 10 per cent of their members’ incomes are no different from “corrupt” politicians.
He said, “Tithe-paying is fraud. Under no circumstance was anyone asked to pay tithe in the Bible. Tithing has to do with foodstuffs. Everything they are doing now is wrong. We speak about corruption and talk about politicians. Corruption begins in the church. The church is actively doing these things. In Deuteronomy 14:25, it tells you, a tithe isn’t about money.”
“There is a difference between offertory and tithing, Malachi chapter 3: 8-10 says tithing has nothing to do with money but offering does. I challenge every clergyman to open a passage that says we should pay tithe on a monthly basis. No apostle asked a Christian to give one-tenth. Now it’s more like a law that some churches even collect the tithe before they bury the dead. How do you mark those who pay tithe in church?”